But he said he was only looking for a certain clientele - "not Starbucks-like people who have common interest in coffee. I don't want the McDonald's coffee drinker."

So he's not looking for "Starbucks-like people" which I guess means people who need a large variety and willing to pay for it or hipsters writing their future screenplay in the cafe. That knocks out about 50%. And he's not looking for the "McDonald's coffee drinker" which I guess means people who need to have a cup of coffee to function (that's me) and are willing to get fast-food coffee to satisfy that. That knocks out the other 50%.

scottydoesntknow:But he said he was only looking for a certain clientele - "not Starbucks-like people who have common interest in coffee. I don't want the McDonald's coffee drinker."

So he's not looking for "Starbucks-like people" which I guess means people who need a large variety and willing to pay for it or hipsters writing their future screenplay in the cafe. That knocks out about 50%. And he's not looking for the "McDonald's coffee drinker" which I guess means people who need to have a cup of coffee to function (that's me) and are willing to get fast-food coffee to satisfy that. That knocks out the other 50%.

Who exactly was the "clientele" you were going for?

Moron

Yeah, he seemed to exclude just about everyone with that.

Young also ripped the DRC and said its Downtown special events such as Party on the Pavement and holiday parades "do nothing," and said the organization didn't keep him informed. Young didn't get DRC newsletters because he was not a member.

I think he was going for the pretentious art house coffee crowd. They aren't Starbucks fans and they don't drink the swill at McDonald's... they also aren't a very supportive crowd and can be insufferable twits to deal with.

He shot himself in the foot by not being a part of the local business community. He drove away a steady customer base by focusing on prima donnas. Instead of taking responsibility for being short sighted and a generally bad business man he instead blames everyone else around him. No wonder he failed.

This guy opened a coffee shop with the intent of appealing to all five, maybe six, comically fussy coffee snobs in the Racine area willing to set aside their snobbery long enough to drink Alterra (which I love, but the snobs tend to frown on it).

This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with a Free Market Economy. It is not the Government's role to limit entry to the market place, but to provide a market full of choices for the consumer. Then it is up to the consumer to decide which companies make it and fail, they do this through their economic choices. Obviously you did not provide a product and service combination that the public was willing to spend money on. Another example of the free enterprise system working!

Vodka Zombie:This guy opened a coffee shop with the intent of appealing to all five, maybe six, <strike>comically fussy coffee</strike> comic book snobs in the Racine area willing to set aside their snobbery long enough to drink Alterra (which I love, but the snobs tend to frown on it).

MindStalker:Vodka Zombie: This guy opened a coffee shop with the intent of appealing to all five, maybe six, <strike>comically fussy coffee</strike> comic book snobs in the Racine area willing to set aside their snobbery long enough to drink Alterra (which I love, but the snobs tend to frown on it).

cannotsuggestaname:I think he was going for the pretentious art house coffee crowd. They aren't Starbucks fans and they don't drink the swill at McDonald's... they also aren't a very supportive crowd and can be insufferable twits to deal with.

He shot himself in the foot by not being a part of the local business community. He drove away a steady customer base by focusing on prima donnas. Instead of taking responsibility for being short sighted and a generally bad business man he instead blames everyone else around him. No wonder he failed.

After reading the comments I think his biggest problem was being a rude, annoying jerk and insulting his customers.

So much WTF... I have no idea who he wanted to sell coffee too. Basically nobody, as far as I can tell. And if you hate everyone, don't take on a job where you have to deal with people on a daily basis.

Young also complained that DRC and city government should have limited the number of Downtown coffee shops. "Where's my protection?" he said.

Wow, really? Capitalism much? You're supposed to compete, a-hole, that's how it works. How much do you want to bet he was born in to a well-off family and thinks he's supposed to succeed just because he's special? That's probably where the money to buy the coffee shop came from.

The sad thing is if he was a billionaire he'd probably get the protectionsist measures he wanted.

I can see him now in my mind hovering over people there just to surf the net, read, or chat with somebody over coffee. 'seeee, how my coffee is like a gourmet burger compared to mcdonalds?!?!' Well, this is weird, let's never go back there.

when i lived in Cambridge, MA some guy opened a coffee shop in an awesome location. But he had skin problems -- the kind where his hands would get all red and scaly and itchy. So he would pick at his hands in between serving customers, sometimes with his teeth, sometimes with a pen, sometimes with the counter.

I went back a few times (ordering things that came in sealed packages) just to marvel at the horror show, feeling sorry for the people whose bagels and muffins he was handling.

Some folks aren't cut out for the service industry. It's going to be fun to watch as the "ME! ME! ME! Generation" collides with this simple fact, over and over again. He's discovered that just starting a service-based business isn't enough to guarantee success - you have to start the right business, in the right place, at the right time, providing the right service to the right people.

If the comments are a useful indicator, he didn't know what the hell he was doing, and now blames everyone else for his failure.